Running trails in West Bend, WI
West Bend has 19 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 3 boardwalk, 1 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 1 open 24 hours. 12 of them post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 1,924 Google reviews. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to get to the run you're actually planning — no made-up difficulty score, just the facts you'd check before driving out.
Riverside Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 522 reviews
Picturesque riverfront park with trails, sports courts & fields, a sculpture garden & playgrounds.
Ridge Run Park East
4.8 ★★★★★ 433 reviews
Park with a playground, picnic area & sports fields, plus trails, fishing & a lighted sledding hill.
Rolfs Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 313 reviews
Wooded, 39-acre site with trails, benches & a dog park with separate areas for small & large breeds.
Quaas Creek Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 169 reviews
Popular park encompassing ballfields, courts and trails.
Ice Age Trail - West Bend Segment
4.8 ★★★★★ 150 reviews
Hiking area featuring glacial terrain, mountain biking, and kid-friendly trails.
Ridge Run Park Central
4.8 ★★★★★ 73 reviews
A spot with a variety of trails, plus sledding hills, fishing spots and a playground for children.
Fellenz Woods
4.6 ★★★★★ 26 reviews
Tranquil area of mowed prairie with paths and river access for hiking, birding and strolling.
Fox Hill Nature Preserve - Nordic Trails
4.9 ★★★★★ 16 reviews
Gregg Preserve
4.5 ★★★★★ 15 reviews
Ice Age Trail West Bend Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 14 reviews
Forest View Park
4.1 ★★★★☆ 10 reviews
Ice Age Trail Alliance - West Bend Trailhead
4.9 ★★★★★ 8 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in West Bend
- Match the surface to your legs. West Bend gives you a choice: 3 boardwalk, 2 natural surface, 2 mixed, and 1 paved. Asphalt and concrete are fast, predictable and runnable year-round but the least forgiving; crushed limestone and dirt take the sting out of high mileage; boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick in the wet. If your shins or knees are complaining, the fix that actually works is varying the surface you run on rather than chasing one "best" one. More boardwalk trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? A loop finishes back at the car with no backtracking; on an out-and-back you simply turn round at half your distance. The longest stated distance in West Bend is Quaas Creek Park at 2 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 1 trail in West Bend is open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 12 of the 19 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 1 is lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 5 have trailhead parking and 4 have restrooms in West Bend. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 5 dog-friendly, and 1 smooth and wide enough for a stroller or a wheelchair. Busy or quiet isn't a good-or-bad thing here: a busy path is the safer choice for a solo run at dawn, a quiet one is better for intervals.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse West Bend trails by type
Running trails near West Bend
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.